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Amazon workers strike as ‘Prime’ shopping frenzy hits
SAN FRANCISCO, July 16, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Amazon workers walked out of a
main distribution center in Minnesota on Monday, protesting for improved
working conditions during the e-commerce titan’s major “Prime” shopping
event.
Amazon workers picketed outside the facility, briefly delaying a few
trucks and waving signs with messages along the lines of “We’re human, not
robots.”
“We know Prime Day is a big day for Amazon, so we hope this strike will
help executives understand how serious we are about wanting real change that
will uplift the workers in Amazon’s warehouses,” striker Safiyo Mohamed said
in a release.
“We create a lot of wealth for Amazon, but they aren’t treating us with the
respect and dignity that we deserve.”
Organizers did not disclose the number of strikers, who said employees
picketed for about an hour in intense heat before cutting the protest short
due to the onset of heavy rain.
The strike was part of an ongoing effort to pressure the company on issues
including job safety, equal opportunity in the workplace, and concrete action
on issues including climate change, according to community organization Awood
Center.
US Democratic presidential contenders Kamila Harris and Bernie Sanders
were among those who expressed support for the strikers on Twitter.
“I stand in solidarity with the courageous Amazon workers engaging in a
work stoppage against unconscionable working conditions in their warehouses,”
Sanders said in a tweet.
“It is not too much to ask that a company owned by the wealthiest person
in the world treat its workers with dignity and respect.”
Amazon employees also went on strike at seven locations in Germany,
demanding better wages as the US online retail giant launched its two-day
global shopping discount extravaganza called Prime Day.
Amazon had said in advance that the strike would not affect deliveries to
customers.
Amazon has consistently defended work conditions, contending it is a
leader when it comes to paying workers at least $15 hourly and providing
benefits.
The company last week announced plans to offer job training to around one-
third of its US workforce to help them gain skills to adapt to new
technologies.
Amazon has been hustling to offer one-day deliver on a wider array of
products as a perk for paying $119 annually to be a member of its “Prime”
service, which includes streaming films and television shows.
The work action came on the opening day of a major “Prime” shopping event
started in 2015.
Now in 17 countries, the event will span Monday and Tuesday, highlighted
by a pre-recorded Taylor Swift video concert and promotions across a range of
products and services from the e-commerce leader.
Prime Day sales for Amazon are expected to hit $5 billion this year, up
from $3.2 billion in 2018, which at the time represented its biggest ever
global shopping event, JP Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth says in a research note.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1045 hrs